Deadly Descent – Bagram Special Ops Book 1 by Kaylea Cross

Devon Crawford is an officer; Air Force Pararescueman Cam Munro is enlisted. Dev flies medical evacuations; Cam jumps into danger zones to save lives. Dev wants to return home from Afghanistan with her heart untouched; Cam will do anything to win the woman he loves.

Reaching for happiness in a war zone is the last thing Captain Devon Crawford plans, but she can’t ignore the feelings she’s hidden for so long. Cam’s sexy charm and wicked kisses weaken her resistance, but she’s too afraid of losing him to give in.

When Dev’s helicopter and crew are shot down and set up as bait by a notorious warlord, Cam risks all to save the team. What he doesn’t know is that the trap is set for him.

I’ve been reading Kaylea’s Valkyrie Series and when I saw this one, I just couldn’t resist it. While I know about Pararescue aka ‘PJ’ this is the first book I’ve seen with them as a focus.

Devon had been dating a Ty a PJ when he’d been deployed. Her intent was to wait for him to return to break up with him as there just wasn’t a real spark between them. In horrible weather conditions, she is called out for a pick up, unfortunately visibility isn’t enough to complete the run. Now Devon is filled with guilt because that’s where Ty dies.

Cam is Ty’s best friend and fellow PJ, after all is said and done, he declares his feelings for Devon, she isn’t ready to hear it although her heart and body surely react to him.

With them both back in Bagram, Cam is determined to run into her and does in the rec center.

This is a favorite scene.

Her eyes were anxious as they scanned his face. “You okay? I saw Ryan—he said you had a tough night.”

He brushed a lock of hair away from her smooth cheek, touched by her concern. “Yeah, it wasn’t my best. But I’m okay.”

She studied him for another moment, her smile saying she didn’t believe him. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

Not if it means going without seeing you. “I got a few hours already.” The painful politeness of the conversation bothered him. If things deteriorated to the point where they talked about the weather, he’d lose it. “What about you? All settled in?”

“Yep. Co-pilot and I had our briefing, and as of morning we’ll be on standby.”

He laughed at the excitement in her voice. “You realize that being called out means somebody’s in real bad shape on the other end of your flight.”

She winced. “I know. But think of how fast I’ll get to them, and how quick they’ll get to a medical facility. And if I’ve got a PJ like you on board, their chances are even better.”

The earnestness in her eyes made him want to kiss her so bad he almost gave into the temptation. “Much as I’d love to go up with you, I don’t think that’s gonna happen. They’ve got me doing insertion and extraction runs in case they need CASEVAC during the missions.” She was smart enough to fill in the blanks he’d left. The men the helo crews delivered could get into serious trouble out there. Tough as they were, the bad-ass SEALs and Delta operators still bled like everyone else when they got shot up. So did the Rangers and Green Berets. If they were hurt bad enough, they died like every other mortal being, despite every effort to keep them alive.

And sometimes a PJ died defending those same wounded, because it was his duty to make sure he got them out alive, no matter the risk to their own safety.

They were both thinking about Ty now, he could tell from the shadows in her eyes. The knowledge of his slow, painful death lay between them and Cam didn’t want that. “You guys got room for one more?” he asked, nodding at the table.

“Sure.” She moved back and picked up her cue, flashing him another smile as he rounded the table to wait his turn.

Liam handed him his cue. “You’re just in time. I need to crash for a while.” He threw him a rueful grin. “Actually you’d be doing me a favor, because she’s a sniper with that thing.”

“I’ll take one for the team and stand in for you, then.” Liam waved and headed for the door, leaving Cam alone with Devon at the table. He noted the subtle difference in her posture as she faced him. A stiffening in her shoulders.

“Mind if I rack ‘em up again?”

“Go ahead.”

He got the balls into place, casting a glance around the room. No one was paying any attention to them. “As I recall you beat me last time we did this. Guess I’ve got to defend my honor tonight.”

“You can try.”

He grinned at the amused twinkle in her gray eyes. “Ever occur to you I took it easy on you last time?”

“Nope. You might be sweet, but you’re still alpha enough to not like losing.”

“You think I’m sweet?”

A light flush spread over her cheekbones. “Most of the time.”

Except for what had happened in her hotel room. He needed to fix that somehow. But sweet was good, right? He hung the rack up on the wall. “Don’t expect me to show my softer side in the next ten minutes.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” She leaned over the table and executed a perfect break, sinking two solids. Her cocky smile taunted him playfully. “Watch and learn, Cameron.” God, when she said his name like that he could hardly think. “I’m watching.” Oh baby, I’m definitely watching.

She sunk two more balls before narrowly missing her next shot and sidled past him with a negligent shrug. “All right. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

The challenge made him meet her eyes for a moment. She thought he was sweet? If they’d been alone he would have upped the stakes between them and stroked his thumb over that pouty lower lip of hers, but she knew damn well he wouldn’t touch her in front of anyone. Instead he gave her a slow, wicked grin, pleased when her flush deepened. If she thought he was giving up on them, she had another thing coming.Cross, Kaylea. Deadly Descent (Bagram Special Ops Series) (pp. 72-75). Carina Press. Kindle Edition.

Plenty of sparring between these two, and concern for each other grows as things get more intense in the field. With the turning point being when Dev’s helicopter goes down.

Lots of suspense and action as these two find their way to a relationship in spite of the war raging around them.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!

5 Contented Purrs for Kaylea!

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Kaylea Cross

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kaylea Cross writes edge-of-your-seat military romantic suspense. Her work has won many awards and has been nominated for both the Daphne du Maurier and the National Readers’ Choice Awards. A Registered Massage Therapist by trade, Kaylea is also an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dance enthusiast and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and family.